Engineer/caravan

[talltim]

I have a suggestion for a unit that modifies the movement needed to cross the hexes around it. It could be called the engineer or caravan or something similar and friendly units could move through surrounding hexes either without a movement cost or with a much reduced one. The idea would be that players could maintain a chain of these units across the battlefield, allowing friendly units to cross more quickly from one location to another. This would allow for tactics similar to maintaining a supply line in real warfare - it would offer advantages, but supply line units would be vulnerable to attack.
You could do something similar with units that slow down enemies.

Any thoughts?

[Rune]

I think it is an interesting idea certainly worth considering. Though I think it might be more natural if it gave the bonus only to units moving through the same hex as the engineer/caravan/whatever, and not in surrounding hexes.

Some suggestions:

Giant Turtle - gives movement bonus to units moving over deep/shallow water
Dwarven Mountainguides - movement bonus in mountains (and perhaps hills)
Goblin Bridge Builders - movement bonus over swamp/shallow water
Elvish Woodsman - guess where he'll give bonus...

[Gwain]

i think that instead of a new unit it could be an advancement to offer on the AMLA thread.

[turin]

i think that instead of a new unit it could be an advancement to offer on the AMLA thread.

It seems really powerful for an AMLA.

[JW]

Some suggestions:

Giant Turtle - gives movement bonus to units moving over deep/shallow water

This is incredible. I discarded the idea of a turtle for my Shifter faction, but if this could be implemented I would very much like to add it with this ability! Would this be possible devs?

[toms]

Any thoughts?

Yes.

Code: Select all

#define MOVEPOINTLESS X Y SIDE
 [event]
 name=moveto
  [filter]
  x,y={X},{Y}
  side={SIDE}
  [/filter]

  [store_unit]
  variable=move
  kill=no
   [filter]
   x={X}
   y={Y}
   [/filter]
  [/store_unit]
  
    {FOREACH move i}
       
       [set_variable]
       name=move[$i].moves
       add=1
       [/set_variable]
    
       [unstore_unit]
       variable=moves[$i]
       [/unstore_unit]
    {NEXT i}
 [/event]
#enddef

[event]
name=moveto
 [filter]
 type=caravan(?)
 x=1-40
 y=1-40 (expected a 40x40 map)
 [/filter]

 [store_unit]
 variable=caravan
 kill=no
  [filter]
  description=unit
  [/filter]
 [/store_unit]
 
 {FOREACH caravan i}
    {VARIABLE_OP temp_x_var to_variable caravan[$i].x}
    {VARIABLE_OP temp_y_var to_variable caravan[$i].y}
    
       [store_locations]
       x=$temp_x_var
       y=$temp_y_var
       radius=1
       variable=temp_caravan_locs
       [/store_locations]
     
       {FOREACH temp_caravn_locs k}
          {VARIABLE_OP temp_x_var2 to_variable temp_caravan_locs[$k].x}
          {VARIABLE_OP temp_y_var2 to_variable temp_caravan_locs[$k].y}
         
             {MOVEPOINTLESS $temp_x_var $temp_y_var $caravan.side}

        {NEXT k}
				
  {NEXT i}
[/event]

You have to:
*Make a campaign
*put the unit "caravan" (available from Flight to freedom (FtF) or Sceptre of Fire (SoF) ) in
*insert the WML fragment below in your scenario where you desire tio have this.
(the WML is easy to learn, if you really care about learning it)

I know what will probably happen now:

talltim doesn´t want to learn the WML, he just posted the idea.

I will tell you something, talltim. This form is not willing to help you when it comes to work
wich isn´t for the main game. I got this experience with hurts, believe me.
It becomes always your work, earlier or later.

Don´t be annoyed, I described you like the most idea-posters are. (some are even too lazy for reading the FPI thread before posting) The most just bring up an idea and after three days it goes off-topic. You will probably have no idea how many ideas are dropped because the posters didn´t want to work for their own ideas. Sorry for the harsh pinch here. Don´t take it too personally.

[Noyga]

Well i find it too similar to Civilization games...
BTW, it's doable in WML and some similar stuff is already done in the Subterraneran Era.

[Eleazar]

* There should be transportation units in the game that can carry other units
Background: there have been various propsals of units that can carry other units
Result: the developers feel that this would unnecessarily complicate the game, and its interface, and has little point other than to circumvent a unit's slow movement or poor movement on particular terrain.

This is more or less what's being discussed here. I don't think it violates FPI rules to discuss how something could be done in WML, but proposing it as an addition to the main game is bad.

Giant Turtle - gives movement bonus to units moving over deep/shallow water

This is the first time i've ever heard of turtles making something faster!

[talltim]

This is more or less what's being discussed here. I don't think it violates FPI rules to discuss how something could be done in WML, but proposing it as an addition to the main game is bad.

The way I imagined it was similar to how the Mage of Light works. In the same way that a MoL "circumvents" a unit's day/night vulnerability, this would create channels through the map where a unit's movement characteristics are improved.

I did check FPI before posting - I felt this differed significantly enough in that rather than having a single unit you need a whole chain of "transport" units which need protecting from attack and with a corresponding drain on the player's resources.

As far as learning the WML goes, I don't mind giving it a go. Having thought about it a bit I wonder whether this characteristic is better as a bonus for higher level units. That way the player needs to decide if a high level unit is best used in transport or attack.

[Darth Fool]

There was a long time ago a similar idea proposed for the dwarves, a dwarven path finder who would be able to help the dwarves speed up by doing precisely what you suggest. I still think that it is a good idea, but it has never been implemented.

[Duke Guillermo]

I don't understand...would this ability alter the terrain around it temporarily or permanently? If permanently how can the effects be removed, if at all?

[talltim]

I don't understand...would this ability alter the terrain around it temporarily or permanently? If permanently how can the effects be removed, if at all?

The way I imagine it would be the same as leadership, illumination, healing etc. It only affects the tiles immediately around that unit while that unit is there.

[toms]

As far as learning the WML goes, I don't mind giving it a go. Having thought about it a bit I wonder whether this characteristic is better as a bonus for higher level units. That way the player needs to decide if a high level unit is best used in transport or attack.

What do you mean?
If you also don´t like to write WMl for yor idea, I really should start to write an other-people´s-ideas campaign!

[irrevenant]

* There should be transportation units in the game that can carry other units
Background: there have been various proposals of units that can carry other units
Result: the developers feel that this would unnecessarily complicate the game, and its interface, and has little point other than to circumvent a unit's slow movement or poor movement on particular terrain.

This is more or less what's being discussed here. I don't think it violates FPI rules to discuss how something could be done in WML, but proposing it as an addition to the main game is bad.

It's really not the same thing. As the FPI above indicates, the primary objection to transportation units is the need to stack and unstack units, and the resulting complication of the interface.

Since this idea doesn't require any additions to the interface, it's not the same as the FPI.

[JW]

Would it be possible to add WML to a unit.cfg that would make the terrain hex it is on act as an alias of grassland as well as its original alias? If so, would it be filterable to apply only when the unit is in Deep and Shallow Water?

If so, this is what I would want for my Giant Turtle unit that I would create if this is possible. If it is not possible for it to be coded in the unit.cfg but is possible for it to be coded in the scenario.cfg, then I plan on making such a unit for campaign use only.

If it is not possible at all, however, then I'm SOL in this regard.